The use of computers is widespread and is playing an increasing role in society on an individual basis as well as in the business world. Computers play a vital role in most businesses in that they enable them to operate efficiently and, in some instances, provide a direct customer interface. For instance, a business may use computers for purposes of managing inventory, personnel, business financials, document generation, providing a web-based location for customers to make purchases, allowing the business to complete transitions with customers, and generally providing communication between employees of the business, for example, by e-mail.
In some instances, data that is generated by computers needs to be stored for later use or saved for recordkeeping purposes. It is not uncommon for a large amount of data to be continuously generated by a business, which results in the need to store the data at off-site vaulting locations, at alternative data storage facilities, or at disaster recovery facilities. In order to transport the data from one location to another, the data is typically saved on some form of data tape media that is easy to handle and ship, for example, a Linear Tape-Open (LTO) data tape or a Data Linear Tape (DLT) data tape.
The data contained on the data tape media is typically a valuable asset to a business in that it may contain proprietary, confidential, or other valuable records related to the business. It is therefore desirable to prevent the data from being removed from the media if the media is either lost, stolen, or the business otherwise loses control of the media. One method of securing the data contained on the media is to encrypt the media to prevent any unauthorized removal or viewing of data stored in the media. While encrypting the media may prevent the data from being removed from the media, it does not address the fact that the business has lost control of the valuable asset and will likely not be returned. Since the data tape media will not be returned, it will not be able to be reused and will need to be replaced at a cost to the business.
Therefore, there is a need for a business to be able to monitor and track the geographic location of data tape media containing such information in real-time after it leaves the business facility while being transported to off-site vaulting locations, alternative data storage facilities, or disaster recovery facilities. This will allow the business to recover the data tape media if lost or stolen during transportation from one location to another.